


IT STARTED WITH FATE

by jiminjamms



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29064549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiminjamms/pseuds/jiminjamms
Summary: In Fairy Tail Academy, Erza Scarlet is the seventeen-year-old that every boy drools over and every girl admires.Since her childhood, Erza harbored a secret crush on a family enemy, Gray Fullbuster. However, Erza also gets curious when one boy doesn't seem to acknowledge her existence...Jellal Fernandes.
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Kudos: 18





	1. Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally posted this story in Fanfiction.Net, but I want to share my story with more people! I wrote this story when I was very young, and I am rewriting and editing as I update.
> 
> The story takes place in an alternate high school universe.

**Erza Scarlet:** In other words, Magnolia's Titania. She'd been called Titania her entire life, and she hates it. Maybe she's called that because of her family's company, or of her personality, or the way Erza acts. But for one thing, she desperately wants to tell everyone to stop calling her that name and worshipping her, but she's too shy and scared. Being called "Titania" since her childhood and growing up with everyone looking up to her, Erza gets curious when one guy doesn't seem to acknowledge her existence.

 **Jellal Fernandes:** Even when moving into a private school far from his hometown, Jellal fits in with so much ease. However he went to the school to mend his past with a "certain someone", and he's determined to do so. But part of his plan is to ignore _that_ particular girl for as long as he can. . .and so far, his plan DOESN'T seem to be working.

 **Gray Fullbuster:** All the girls of fall in love with him at first sight. All the boys envy his popularity. He's Gray Fullbuster, the most sought-after boy in the entire school with his perfect body and high status. Since his family's company is rivals with Scarlet's enterprise, the Fullbusters and Scarlets forbid the interactions between Erza and Gray. But little do either families know of the two's growing mutual relationship.

 **Lucy Heartfilia:** Erza and Gray's friend since childhood. Knowing the two's feelings towards each other, Lucy tries to get them to realize that love prevails over family businesses. Lucy usually spends her time after school with her boyfriend, Natsu, to kill time, but she's also extremely devoted to her friends on the inside.

 **Natsu Dragneel:** He loves to fool around with his friends and loves to make them laugh. He's acquainted with Erza since his parents work under the Scarlet company. He's also longtime friends with Lucy, his girlfriend, and Gray, his "food supplier."

 **Juvia Lockser:** Juvia comes back from three years at Crocus. She always had feelings for Gray, but every time she confessed to him, she would be rejected. This time, she's more determined than ever to make Gray hers and hers only. But she has to get rid of _one person_ that stands in her way.


	2. The Transfer Student

It was another Monday in Erza's second year of high school.

She could feel another boring week of work and studies waiting for her. To be honest, she was hesitant of walking past the school gates of Fairy Tail Academy. She just firmly stood at the corner of the school building, watching other students pass by. But here Erza was, with sunglasses on along with a hat that had her red locks tucked inside. She just stood, scanning.

 _Where's is he?_ she thought. _H_ _e has to be somewhere. . ._

"Erza!" a familiar voice called.

The redhead immediately turned around. Crossing the street was Lucy Heartfilia, happily skipping towards her, her blonde hair swept up by the spring wing. When she arrived, Erza immediately frowned. "I told you to stop calling my name so loudly! You know what will happen when the students realize I'm here. We're just lucky that nobody took too much notice of what you just said!"

Lucy sighed. "I wonder if even _half_ of the students know your real name. And besides, you just look more suspicious in that outfit, in case you didn't know."

"Whatever. No one seems to realize. At least not yet."

"Don't you wanna get to class? I know we have potions first, but there are ten minutes left and you better show up or else the class will be disappointed in . . ."

Erza covered Lucy's mouth. "I didn't say I was gonna skip class in the first place. Just give me two minutes and we'll get inside." The redhead continued to look down the block in an attempt to spot someone.

"Looking for a special boy?" the blonde teased. As a response, Erza shot a glare at her. Lucy added, "Are you gonna wait here, even if the bell rings?"

Erza's face flushed at her friend's comment. "O-of course not!" she stuttered.

Lucy smirked. "You gotta stop playing goody-two-shoes. Haven't you done something _bad_ in your life before? C'mon, Eru! Let's just skip potions class. Just for today. Please?!" She tried to show Erza her puppy eyes, but her friend simply ignored them. Not that the redhead was going to agree to the idea anyway.

 _Jeez, Erza. You're always so well-behaved, no wonder everyone looks up to you,_ the blonde thought. Ever since Erza was a kindergartener, she was nicknamed "Titania," or in other words, the "Fairy Queen." Lucy had to admit, Erza was always beautiful, kind, graceful, formal, and _always_ followed the rules, thus earning this title. But Lucy knew Erza disliked being called that; it made Erza angry. People looked up to Erza because of her title, of course, but to the point people thought she was some sort of goddess or magical being. And since Erza was considered some sort of "holy person," Erza had trouble fitting in and making friends, except for Lucy and. . .

"Gray!" Erza excitedly mumbled to herself. She felt her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks heated as she saw the sleek and dark-haired boy jogging towards their direction.

And as usual, girls were surrounding him like a swarm of bees.

"Gray-senpai, will you accept my love letter?" one girl asked.

"Senpai, can you date me?" asked another.

"Gray, give me your autograph!"

"Will you show me your abs?"

"Gray! Marry me and make children with me!"

He flinched at the last comment, but overall, he still ignored all his fangirls. That was one thing Erza loved about Gray. No matter however his fangirls disturb him, he keeps his cool and ignores them. So what should she be jealous about?

Lucy snickered. Being Erza's friend since childhood, she knew what that redhead was thinking about. _It's been 12 years already, why don't you just confess?! Erza, you may be shy, but you HAVE TO MAKE A MOVE AND STOP BEING SO RESERVED!_ were the words the blonde so desperately wanted to tell her friend. Oh wait, Lucy already did for a hundred times before. But did Erza listen? No.

Gray walked up to Erza and executed a smile. Sweat beads ran down his face, only making his smile even more charming. "Erza," he greeted.

She nodded slowly in recognition, as she was mesmerized by his flashy smile that would make any girl drop dead. And that's exactly what happened to Gray's surrounding fangirls. Gray ignored them and chuckled, "Why, you have quite an outfit today." He pulled off the redhead's sunglasses and took off her hat, and placed it in the girl's book bag. Erza could feel some deadly glares for "Titania" was with the most adored boy in Fairy Tail Academy.

"Sorry if I'm late. I forgot how Mondays felt like," he chortled and awkwardly scratched his head. "And stop disguising yourself, you're beautiful, so don't hide your gorgeous face."

"Y-yeah," the redhead smiled back. Her heart was beating as fast as ever when she heard his comment. She looked into his dark eyes, which were full of excitement after being reunited after a weekend.

"So, shall we go?" he asked extending his hand. Erza smiled and took it. Gray's warm and familiar hand bought back memories that started since she was five. It was always Gray's hand that would be wrapped around hers. It always was and she wondered how long it would stay like that.

 _Not for long._ Erza told herself and heavily sighed.

"Something wrong, Erza?" he tenderly asked. But he knew what she was thinking. If their parents knew about their friendship . . . "Just don't think about it," he said, and Erza immediately knew what he was referring to. She gave a slight nod, and the two started towards Fairy Tail Academy gates. On the way, students happily greeted the two and bowed, since Titania was present.

And there was Lucy, watching. Of course, she wanted her two friends to be together, but something always doubted her. Erza Scarlet is Titania. She's the one and only "fairy queen." Gray Fullbuster is the most handsome boy in the entire Fairy Tail Academy. All the girls adore him and all the boys envy him. But the Scarlets and Fullbusters families are business company rivals. Erza was the sole heir of her family's company, and the same thing applies to Gray. And Lucy can tell there was no way neither of their parents would allow their friendship to come to light.

"Titania and Gray are like Romeo and Juliet," she heard a student whisper to her friend. "Isn't it so romantic?!"

Her green-haired friend scoffed. "There's no way those two are ever going to become official, for _I_ am going to marry Gray!"

"Ssh! This is Titania we are talking about! She's so pretty, she really is like a real queen. Titania. . .What a heavenly name!"

Lucy immediately confronted them. "Um, I don't know if _you_ know but this 'Titania' you speak of has a name, and it's Erza Scarlet," she told the girls in a nasty tone. Lucy knew if Erza was here, she'd get upset for people calling her 'Titania.' The blonde continued, "And if you really wanna get Gray's attention, how about you try covering your cleavage since he's never gonna date a dumb hoe like you." Lucy gave a sarcastic smile as the girls' jaws dropped open.

 _Serves them right!_ Lucy thought as she happily skipped towards the school building.

* * *

When Erza entered the Potion room with Gray, everyone in the whole room seemed to be holding their breaths in. Besides, not only was there one good-looker but two. And those two are from the richest families in Magnolia.

Whispers arose.

"Look! It's Titania and Gray!"

"Gray looks hotter with his stern face on. And look at Titania! The queen's as beautiful as always!"

"I would love it if Titania and Gray were together, but I heard its forbidden love."

"Romeo and Juliet~! Titania and Gray~!"

Erza let out a heavy sigh. She was tired of hearing the same thing over and over. But she most was tired of hearing 'Titania' over and over. Gray sensed the redhead's annoyance, lightly squeezed her hand, and led her to her seat. "See you later," he flashed his captivating smile, and his fangirls started squealing, even though it wasn't for them. He neglected their actions and headed towards his seat at the back of the room towards the window.

Soon, Lucy walked into the room, with a smirk plastered across her face. _Well, I wonder what happened with her. Maybe she heard she got a full score on her Math exam,_ Erza thought. _But then again, she IS Lucy._ She chuckled at her own thinking.

When the bell rang, their potions teacher, Mr. Macao, ran into the room, stifling a few giggles from the class. He seemed to be in some sort of rush, but he didn't seem to show it much. Maybe he had an emergency meeting with the teachers? Maybe.

He greeted us joyfully and declared that he would be passing out our test papers from last week.

When Gray heard that, he wished he had the power to teleport to another world. He didn't even care if that world didn't even have water or food; he just _really_ didn't want to see his potions grade. Potions was just never his ideal subject, not even since grade school. And considering he had a cold last week when he took the test, it added on to his desire to flee. _I swear, if I get lower than an 80, I'm going just open that bottom window and jump out of this building,_ He told himself.

"Actually, most of you've done pretty well on the test," Mr. Macao said. Gray literally sighed out in relief.

"I really don't think most of you mind if I read your grades aloud to the class," he looked around for objections, and there was none. "Ok. Let's start. Laki Olietta: 97, Natsu Dragneel: 90, Levy McGarden: 100. . . Great job, Levy. Erza Scarlet: 100." The class started talking amongst each other.

"Wow! Titania got another full score!"

"As expected of our amazing TItania!"

Erza didn't get the big deal of getting a hundred. Besides, didn't Levy get the same grade as her? It wasn't like that Erza won some sort of national competition or whatnot. It isn't nice to judge people using grades either. _Erza, you should really tell people to stop this crap,_ she told herself. But she knew she was never going to get the courage to do so. After being isolated as a child since she was some sort of "queen," her socializing skills were near zero, and her only friends were Lucy and Gray.

She took a glance at Levy, who was nervously staring down at her lap. Erza could tell Levy's uneasiness and, at the same time anger. _I really wish people can recognize people other than myself_ , the redhead thought.

Gray watched Erza from the back of the room. "You should really speak up, Eru," Gray mumbled. Not that Erza was going to hear him with this much commotion in the room. But even if she did, she would never have the courage to do so. "Maybe if you told the class, or even better the entire school and city, to stop treating you like how they do, things would get better," he murmured.

He glanced at Lucy, who sat a row in front of him near the wall. Coincidentally, she looked back too and saw Gray. She rolled her eyes, showing her disapproval of the class's reaction. Besides, she knew Erza disliked the class's behavior.

Mr. Macao tapped on his bell. "Class! Please lower your voices!" he shouted. "Let me just finish the list, please." The class obeyed.

"Now," Mr. Macao started. "Lucy Heartfilia: 80 - An improvement from your usual 70s, I must say."

Lucy turned back again to try to catch Gray's gaze. When she did, she stuck her tongue out at him. Gray scoffed, thinking, _She only got an 80! Psh! Of course I will beat her score since . . ._

"Gray Fullbuster: 73," Mr. Macao said and eyed him suspiciously. "Young man, I hope you understand anything lower than an 75 will _NOT_ be accepted as a passing grade during the finals," Macao said in a cold tone, making Gray get goosebumps. Gray nodded slowly and eyed Lucy, who was chuckling. Yup, Gray was really feeling the urge to open the window now.

Erza didn't even have to glance back to know what their friends were doing. Instead, she was having her own problems. Sitting in the middle of the second row, she felt so many gazes on her, most admiring and adoring, but there was a slight twinge of envy in the mix.

"Titania," Erza's seatmate who sat right behind her whispered. "You're amazing!"

The queen looked back and gave a slight nod as a recognition of the comment. "Thanks, Meredy." Though there was so much Erza wanted to say, she kept her mouth shut.

"I got an 88. I wish I was you, Titania! How amazing it must be!" Meredy sighed. "Geez, all guys have eyes on you, and all girls adore you. So lucky, so lucky. . . I wonder how it would be like if I was born rich, smart, and delicate as you."

Meredy didn't finish her comments, for there was a knock on the door. Mr. Macao stopped his reading of the grades and opened it. In walked the assistant principal, Ms. Mirajane Strauss. Her usual radiant smile lit up the room since some people were sulking over their grades and others were half-asleep. Ms. Strauss's mahogany dress suited her well and complimented her body figure. Her hair was pinned back, emphasizing her impeccable face. She started speaking to Mr. Macao in a low tone. The class, being the noisy class it is, started talking again.

"Ms. Strauss is so gorgeous! She's still a Miss, right? Not misses? If Titania won't marry me, it'll be Ms. Strauss instead. I heard she's only 20."

"Ms. Strauss might be pretty, but she's nothing compared to our fairy queen."

"Who do you think would win the pageant? Ms. Strauss or Titania?"

Erza, however, sat at her seat, furrowing her eyebrows. She strained her ears to try to figure out what Mr. Macao and Ms. Strauss were talking about. Maybe since Mr. Macao was conferring with her this morning, and that's why he was late.

Erza watched as the two finished the conversation, and Ms. Strauss looked down the hall. She flicked her finger, then gave a smile to an anonymous person. She seemed to be beckoning for someone. Mr. Macao looked down the hall and smiled at the anonymous person too. The teacher gave a handshake, followed by Ms. Strauss doing the same thing. After a few quick words, Ms. Strauss left. Mr. Macao then signaled for the person to wait outside, then the teacher entered the room.

"Class, I have something to announce," Mr. Macaosaid, tapping his desk bell furiously. But the class just got noisier since they were more curious. "CLASS!" the teacher repeated angrily. The students finally silenced. All eyes turned towards him.

Mr. Macao smirked with triumph. "So," he said so casually as if nothing had happened. "As I said, there is a transfer student. That was what Ms. Strauss and I were talking about earlier. The student will also be part of your homeroom class, obviously. I hope you can treat the newcomer with the utmost respect." He then beckoned for the new student to enter.

The class broke out in excitement. Never was there a transfer student in the class before; this was their first time. Not that Erza cared though, since she was never going to be friends with him/her. But her classmates obviously did mind.

"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl!"

"I hope she's hot, if she's a girl. Then again, no one can possibly rival our Titania."

"If it's a guy, I call dibs on him."

"I wonder if the new student ever dated. . ."

When the newcomer appeared at the doorway, the entire class inhaled audibly. There the student stood. He was a boy, whose blue hair was messed up as if he just woke up. A red tattoo was on the right side of his face and his green eyes crinkled as he smiled. As he was beaming a smile at the class, and girls swooned while the boys were resisting the urge to punch his face.

The bluehaired boy bowed. "Hello! I'm Jellal Fernandes! Nice to meet you!" he said while still maintaining his grin. Mr. Macao was obviously pleased with his behavior.

Erza scoffed. _Jeez. He better stop smiling like that! It gives me the creeps!_

But the longer she looked at Jellal, she quickly noticed something was wrong. For the entire duration, his gaze never shifted. He only stared at one thing and one thing only. Wait, he was staring at _someone_ , not something. The redhead tried to follow his gaze and realized he was staring at Lucy, who was oblivious. In fact, Lucy was doodling at her notebook. She was _that_ uninterested.

Mr. Macao spoke, "Why don't you choose your seat, Jellal? How about the one at the fourth row?" Erza's eyes widened, realizing it was the vacant seat by Lucy.

"Yes," the boy said and started walking along the aisle, which Erza was seated immediately next to. On his way to the back, Jellal greeted the students in the first row. He shook hands and told them quick jokes, which the students laughed at. Jellal beamed his smile as he laughed with them. As he moved on to the second row, he did the same and even high-fived another student. He greeted everyone . . . except for Erza. He acted as if she was another empty seat in the classroom. He didn't even say "hi" to her. No high-five. No wave. No joking. No eye smiles. Not even a _glance_.

Erza was unsettled. She wanted to greet him since he was a new student. This is what people do when someone new arrives, right? She was about to call his name but stopped when she realized how embarrassing and stupid it would look.

The redhead watched him greet the rest of the class. Jellal greeted _every, single person_ , except for her.

Lucy was shocked when someone unfamiliar just plopped down in the seat next to her and said a simple "hello." She didn't even realize a new student was here until that happened. She eyed him suspiciously, waiting for something bad to happen.

"I hope we can become friends," Jellal said hopefully.

"We'll see," the blonde answered, annoyed. She continued to busy herself with her drawing.

"Whatcha drawing?" Jellal asked, trying to peer at his neighbor's notebook.

"MYOB," Lucy said. "If you keep on doing this, my boyfriend's going to get you."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah. So just leave me alone, because, for your knowledge, he's really good with Fire Dragon spells. In other words, he's gonna burn your ass," Lucy answered. "I don't think I'm going to be interested in paying your hospital fees, either."

Jellal chuckled. "Who is he?"

"I said, 'MYOB.'"

"Who knew you were like this?!" he laughed to himself.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, curious.

Jellal smirked. "'MYOB~!'"

Meanwhile, Gray watched from the back of the room. "Something's not right," he mumbled. Something about this new transfer student perked him up, and not in a good way. While he knew that many people were obviously in favor of something, Gray knew something was 'off.' "I guess we just gotta see," Gray said.

* * *

It was finally lunch, and with lunch came. . .

"Food!" Gray shouted happily as he unwrapped the lunch box he just bought. He started picking up the shrimp in his pesto pasta and bit it. Erza, on the other hand, was delicately eating her strawberry cake across from him. She hummed as she loved the taste when the whipped cream was blended with the strawberry flavor of the cake. Next to her sat Lucy, who was eating her sushi. It was just the three of them sitting at the corner table of the lunch table. No one else was there, because the other students believed Titania must've wanted her queenly conversations privately with her advisors.

Honestly, Erza wished the opposite. She wanted everyone to treat her as a normal person. _I swear once I find out whoever started calling me "Titania," I'm going to destroy them! Mark my words! That person has no idea how badly that nickname has affected me!_

Lucy started the conversation that lunch. "I don't like this Jellal," she admitted. "He's weird."

"Psh, I wonder what he's up to," Gray said, picking on his rice.

Erza nodded.

"Don't you have anything to say, Eru?" Gray wondered.

"Nothing much," she replied.

"Ha! I bet he was drooling all over when he laid his eyes on you," Lucy smirked.

Erza's chest slightly tightened at the blonde's comment. Jellal shouldn't be any of her business, so why would she care if he ignored her? The redhead sighed. "Actually, I don't even think Jellal noticed me."

Lucy almost choked on her sushi. "What?" she asked, wondering if she heard her friend correctly.

Gray's bowtie pasta dropped from his fork. "He. . .ignored. . .YOU?!" he casually laughed. "Stop lying, Eru."

"But it's true!" the redhead insisted. "He greeted everyone in the room, but me! He just skipped me, as if I was invisible! I mean it!"

"Liar," Lucy said. "Before, you said nothing happened."

"I meant it literally!" Erza protested. "He didn't even _look_ at me! I thought he would turn back, but no! You see, I sit in the front of the room, so I thought he would realize I was existent by the end of Potions, but I guess he didn't realize I was there!"

Lucy tried to find an answer. "Maybe he's too embarrassed to look at you. You're the Titania that's so well known throughout Magnolia! The most beautiful and smartest and amazing! If I was him, of course, I would get shy to talk to such a popular person like you!"

Gray scoffed, thinking about the newcomer. "I knew it! He's so suspicious! Psh, that creep's probably not gonna make friends with anybody. And also -" He didn't get a chance to finish.

"Lucy~!" a familiar voice called. The three on the table turned their heads to find the source of the sound. Sure enough, a pink-haired boy appeared, and he was walking in their direction. Natsu found it easy to find the three since it was where they were usually seated.

Lucy got up to throw away her tray, and waited until Natsu reached the area. "What's up?!" Lucy asked.

He blushed. "Nothing much," he answered.

"Aw, you disoriented boy went searching for his girlfriend," Gray teased, and the pink-haired boy stared daggers at him.

"You're just jealous that you don't have a girlfriend as pretty as mine. Oh wait, you don't have one," Natsu answered with a smirk.

Gray gritted his teeth. Fortunately, Lucy was able to stop Natsu from going on by kicking his shin. Natsu yelped, but he understood what the blonde meant. "You don't wanna discourage Gray's feelings!" the blonde quietly scolded. "Listen, just because you know Gray's feelings towards Erza does not mean you can take advantage of it!"

Erza sat quietly, wondering what the two were talking about. _Probably their next date to some sort of romantic place._ The thought of that made her cheeks flush. _What am I thinking about?!_

"Erza?" Gray asked. "What are you thinking about?" he said and laughed. "You're cheeks are getting all red." He stretched out his hand and had his thumb graze over her soft cheek. "You're so adorable when you're embarrassed," he chuckled.

Just his words made Erza blush even more. "T-thank you."

Gray chuckled and released his hand. But Erza thought that time was too short. She wanted him to hold her cheek like that forever. At the same time though, her heart sank when she wondered if Gray only thought of her as a friend. She sat there, wondering how long their friendship would last. Exactly how long would it be before their parents find out about each other's friendship? And their reactions?

 _To hell with our family companies!_ Erza thought. Her wondering ended when another person arrived at the table, which was unusual. Usually, it was Gray, Erza, Lucy, and occasionally Natsu.

"Um, excuse me," the person said.

The four at the table turned their eyes towards the person. Jellal Fernandes. The table started staring at him since they never expected his presence.

"Would you like something?" Gray asked, cautious of the blue-haired boy.

"I would like to speak to Titania," Jellal answered.

The weird thing, though, was that Jellal was not looking at Erza. 

He was looking at Lucy.


	3. Dismissal

"I would like to speak to Titania," Jellal answered, looking at Lucy intently.

The four table mates froze, trying to process what just happened.

Gray's fork fell, clicking onto the floor when they fell. He suddenly felt a loss of appetite, for his desire for shrimp pesto pasta vanished. Natsu stared at Lucy, his chest tightening.  _ Is there something going on between these two? _ was the question he wanted the answer to so desperately. Erza, who was so enthusiastic when Jellal called on her, quickly felt the opposite when she realized he was referring to her friend instead.

Lucy stood there, angry.  _ First, the smartass decided to ignore Erza, then try to flirt with ME, and now he just called me 'Titania'? _ The blonde walked up to the blue-haired boy, then smacked him.

Meanwhile, Jellal didn't prepare for such a response. He flinched when the blonde struck him. His hand went up to his cheek to soothe the mild pain. He stood there, dumbfounded and speechless. Suddenly, he felt a pang of embarrassment that hit him. Here he was, humiliated ever so quickly. He looked at the wall to try to avoid eye contact. He could tell everyone was not impressed with what he just said.

_ Just bear with it _ , Jellal told himself.  _ I came to this school for a reason, and if I'm just gonna stand here like this. . .  _ He slowly started walking away. He knew he would have to make up for this later.

"Hey, Jellal!" Lucy called. "Why don't you apologize to  _ real _ Titania!" Jellal heard Lucy's orders but pretended not to in the commotion of the lunchroom. It was too embarrassing to even look back. 

More importantly, Jellal didn't want  _ her _ to recognize him.

* * *

By the time it was the last class of the tedious Monday, the news had been buzzing all over school about the latest transfer student. As Erza took her seat in Spells class, she eavesdropped to listen to what people had to say about it.

A male voice was the first one she heard, saying, "You know that new blue-haired kid? I heard his name is Jellal Fernandes."

"The transfer student is actually really nice and polite. He helped me pick up my books when I dropped them," a girl piped in.

"Well, he gave me his lunch for free! Hah! In your face!"

"He's actually pretty cool and good-looking. Hahaha. . .I wonder if he will take Gray's spot."

"A teacher told me Jellal's not from Magnolia. I wonder where he's from."

Erza listened intently. Most people seemed very interested in this newcomer, except for her of course. The redhead's chest tightened after thinking back to lunchtime's events. It just seemed like that Jellal just really had no interest in her at all. But this only intrigued Erza to want to know more about him. Never had she seen a person ignore her so bluntly. Even when Erza passes by the streets, people gawk at her beauty and poise.

_ If this Jellal doesn't care about me, then why should I? _ she asked herself for the billionth time today. The more she denied the question, however, the more she desired to figure out the answer to it. Erza sat there, deep in thought.

In fact, she was so deep in thought, she didn't even realize it when Gray and Lucy entered the room and called her name. "Just leave her alone for now," Lucy suggested and took her seat. Gray followed the blonde's advice.

Erza was only able to snap awake from her daydreaming when the class started shouting Jellal's name as he came in. Just as he did in his other classes, he greeted his classmates. And once again, Jellal failed to look towards the redhead's direction.

After hearing about the transfer student throughout the day, the students gathered around him. They obviously wanted to make friends with the new student and Jellal felt the same way towards them. He was so warmly accepted throughout the school, and he appreciated it.

Erza sat in her seat, watching her classmates happily chat with the newcomer. She wanted, so badly, to speak to him, and to at least say 'hi.' But never had she done that before. It would be others greeting her first.  _ What does it feel like to greet someone? _ she wondered.  _ Is it fun? Is it heartwarming? Is it scary? _

When Mr. Wakaba arrived, the students quieted down as he started the lesson. For the first time, Erza wasn't paying attention to Spell lessons, which happened to be her favorite class. Instead, Erza watched Jellal, who was two rows in front of her. He was whispering to his seatmate, who was quietly snickering. Judging on how Jellal acts towards others, she couldn't blame her school mates if they believed he was friendly and sociable. Even if Mr. Wakaba called on him, Jellal would know exactly how to answer despite his constant talking.

But the redhead sat there watching, dumbfounded. If he really was that nice, maybe he should've talked to Erza something by now. Damn, he didn't even apologize that lunch period. "I'm not invisible!" Erza angrily murmured to herself. What was wrong with that boy!? She rummaged through her mind of what she possibly did wrong to him.  _ Did I accidentally say something that offended him? Or is it that he wanted me to greet him first?  _ During the entire class, Erza busied herself with ways she might've crossed the transfer student.

When the Spells class was dismissed, Erza packed her books as Lucy bounded towards her. "Erza!" the blonde shouted. "You're following Gray and me to the library, right?"

Erza froze at her spot. Instead of listening to her friend's question, she watched Jellal, who was talking to Lyon Vastia, one of the smartest students in the school. The two were having so much fun, Erza wished she could be that carefree with others around her. The redhead's thoughts were terminated by a familiar voice that sounded so smooth and calming. "Erza," Gray called.

"Yes?" Erza's breathing became uneven when she spotted the dark-haired boy.

"Mr. Wakaba gave us a Transformation Spells report. It's due on Friday, so you wanna go to the school library?" Gray asked with a smile.

Lucy giggled. "Guess Erza will only pay attention if it's Gray talking," she commented, only to have Gray smirking at her as a response.

Erza gave a long sigh and replied, "Sorry, but no." Lucy and Gray, who were in bright spirits two seconds ago, were suddenly speechless by their friend's response. Did Erza just say 'no' to going to the school library, which was Erza's favorite place in the ENTIRE world?

"I'm sorry, what?" Lucy asked. She had to clarify if what her friend said was real, and not a dream.

"I said, 'sorry, but no,'" Erza repeated as she heaved on her book bag. "I'm just really not in the mood today. I'll do it tomorrow then."

"What?!" Gray inquired. "Don't you _ love _ to finish your homework as quickly as you can? And this is Spells! Your favorite subject!"

"I'm sorry, Gray. I just wanna take a break today, please. I just don't feel that great." Erza's pleading eyes got the best of him. He knew something was wrong with his friend, but if that was all Erza was willing to share, so be it.

"Fine then," Gray said and pulled Erza into a hug. "Feel better, Eru." Erza felt so comfortable with Gray's familiar arms around her. She buried her head into Gray's chest and murmured, "I will."

Erza released the hug and watched Gray's radiant smile reappear.

"Sooooo. . ." Lucy started, trying to hide her laughter. "I'll get Natsu to come with us, okay Gray?"

Gray's mood suddenly shifted. "Geez, he's just gonna ask for my sandwich again," he said.

"Don't worry, I got a bagel for him."

It took him a while before he replied. "Then fine, Natsu can come. Just don't make out in front of me," Gray said.

_ Says the boy who has those 'lovey-dovey' eyes every time he spots Erza.  _ Lucy told herself.

Lucy tugged on Erza's sleeve, signaling that it was time to leave. Gray took the lead. As Erza was nearing the door, she took a quick glance back. She saw Jellal, still talking to Lyon. And, even though it sounded so stupid to her, she was hoping. Hoping for Jellal to look in her direction and wave. Just one simple wave. But as usual, Jellal didn't even seem to notice Titania staring at him. He seemed too busy with his conversation with Lyon. When Jellal didn't even  _ glimpse  _ Titania, Erza felt. . .hurt.

But this was a different type of pain. It was a pain she never felt before. Sure, there were times when Erza injured herself and such. But it wasn't like a burn or a scrape; it was pain coming from her chest. But strangely enough, she doesn't know how else to describe this strange ache.

Erza let out a sigh as she walked down the hallway.  _ Maybe I will be better tomorrow.  _ she thought.

* * *

Back in the Spells room, Lyon and Jellal were talking. Since both of them came from places outside of Magnolia, they easily became friends. They both knew the feeling of leaving their beloved homes to go to Magnolia.

"So, how long have you been living in Magnolia?" Jellal asked.

"About. . .four years," Lyon answered. "My mother just thinks that there are more opportunities here, rather than back home."

"Oh, I see."

Lyon suddenly walked out the door and peered down the hallway. He went back to Jellal with a sigh of relief. "Thankfully, she's not here anymore," Lyon said, as he carried on his school bag. He was sweating anxiously before, but now knowing she's not around, he felt much more relaxed.

"Who?" Jellal wondered curiously. He slung his school bag around his shoulders.

"You really don't know?!" Lyon asked, surprised. "Titania, of course!"

The bluehead nonchalantly shrugged. "You mean that redhead? So?"

" _ 'So?!'" _ Lyon repeated, his eyes widening. A smirk started to form on his face. "So you actually  _ do _ know that Titania is the redhead and not the blonde."

"And?"

"Well, during lunch, you called Lucy 'Titania' instead of the redhead. I thought you seriously didn't know who Titania was. But, ha! Turns out you actually do and everything is just an act. Oh, Jellal. What exactly are you planning?"

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh," Lyon said sarcastically. "Also, you decide to greet everyone but her. I'm actually very observant. You didn't even wave a 'goodbye' to her. I know you saw her staring at you. There was a nervous glint in your eyes. Yet, you didn't even care to wave to her. Ah, I'm so jealous that Titania was staring at you like that."

"Why would I care? Then again, why should I?"

"Oh my Titania! She's the Fairy Queen! Her family is filthy rich! She lives in a mansion that takes up the WHOLE ENTIRE block! Damn, she's gorgeous! It's just spring, but once it's July, you can admire her flawless body," Lyon said with a blush on his face.

"Not like she's a real queen," Jellal commented. "And I don't care about how people look. She can have the most beautiful body in the world, but if her personality sucks, then forget about it."

"But she is nice!" Lyon protested.

"Let me ask you this: Did you ever talk to her?"

"No," Lyon admitted sheepishly. "But if she hangs out with Gray, I assume she is."

"She also hangs out with Lucy. I thought you said Lucy was snobby," the bluehead countered.

"Well," Lyon started. He didn't know what else to say, but he knew for sure that Titania was a very delicate and warm girl. He just didn't know how to prove it to his stubborn friend. Suddenly, a lightbulb appeared. "Say Jellal, did you ever see Titania smile?" he asked with a smirk.

"I don't give a damn for how she smiles," Jellal sneered. There was no way he was going to spend his time thinking of ways to make Titania smile at her. That just sounded so stupid.  _ Titania is probably overrated. Geez, why do people  _ still _ call her that name? _

"Probably you just never saw her smile," Lyon chuckled.

"Whatever," he mumbled.

Lyon just stared at his friend, knowing that nothing was going to change the bluehead's mind. "Ah, so lucky, so lucky," he murmured to himself.

"So, you wanna go home?" Jellal asked, desperate to change the subject. More importantly, he wanted to stop thinking about the girl. He stood up from his seat and waited for Lyon. Jellal just wanted to get back home to relax. Honestly, today had been such a long day. He was still assimilating to life in Magnolia, and it was actually a lot rougher than he thought it would be.  _ I guess I haven't been here for quite some time, _ he thought.

Lyon started the conversation as they started their walk home. "So when are you going to do the Transformation Spells report? You do know that it’s mandatory to use the school library."

"Yeah. You said that I can go there from 5:30 AM to 6 PM, am I right?"

"Mm-hmm. I live rather far from school, so maybe I'll do it tomorrow afternoon. If you live close to school, you can use it in the morning. But then. . .Where do you live?"

Jellal shrugged. "I really don't know. My mom just picked me a random place to stay. Still, I have to pay most of the rent while my parents pay the rest. I’m going to need to find a job soon."

His friend nodded. "Why are you paying most of the rent? I thought it was your parent's idea for you to live here."

Jellal shook his head. "Mine."

Lyon was so astonished, an audible "Woah" escaped his lips. "Why though?" he asked.

"Er," the bluehead said. He didn't really know what to say. In fact, he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. At least, not yet. "I'll tell you. . .one day." he answered. Jellal inwardly sighed of relief when Lyon didn't question him anymore about his reason to live in Magnolia.

"Hey, how about you give me the address to your place and I'll help you with directions," Lyon suggested.

Since he really doesn't know much about the layout of the city, Jellal scribbled his address on a piece of paper and handed it to his friend. But Lyon just turned out more surprised than he already was. "W-wow," Lyon stammered. "Um, Jellal, are you sure this is the right place?" he asked. Jellal didn't know what was so surprising. Geez, it was only a house. Still, he took out his phone to compare the address he wrote down to the address his mother sent him.

"Yeah, that's about it," Jellal confirmed.

Lyon smirked again. Something was going on, and Jellal could feel it. "Let's get going, then!" Lyon said. "I'll lead you there. I've only been in that area rarely, but I got a GPS on my motorcycle just in case we get lost. You got a motorcycle too, right?"

* * *

No matter how much the maids pleaded for her to eat, Erza didn't have an appetite. She only took a sip of orange juice, but it only made her feel worse. And here Erza was, plopped on her soft bed as she stared up at her bed canopy.

_ Maybe I should start my homework. It's already four.  _ Erza craned her neck and spotted her school bag lying on the soft, red, carpeted floor. She stood up and walked towards the bag. While rummaging through her items, she spotted her hat and sunglasses she used that morning.  _ I’m just going to use that tomorrow then. _ she said as she placed the items on the nearby desk. Just as she pulled her "Guild Studies" book out, a knock sounded on her door.

"Yes?!" Erza shouted. She placed her Guild Studies book on the desk, then walked towards the door. “I’ll be there!”

"Erza!" her mom's voice called again from the door.

"I said that I'm coming, Mother!" the redhead yelled. She opened the door and saw her parents standing at the door. Her mother was as beautiful as always, and her blue dress made her look stunning. Her father, who was wearing a tuxedo, looked outstanding with his outfit. Erza had to hold in her breath because her parents looked amazing together. Erza knew that her parents must've been more than attractive when they were younger.

"How may I help you two?" Erza asked, suddenly realizing she was spending too much time admiring her parents.

"Erza," her father started. "We're going to Oshibana Town for a really big client meeting. I think you were already aware of that."

"How long are you going to be gone then?" Erza inquired, and she saw her parents look at each other nervously.

"I. . .really don't know," her mother answered earnestly. Her eyebrows knitted, expressing her sadness for leaving her only child. "Sweetie, even if everything goes well, it will be about three months. . ." Her mother's voice trailed off.

Her father tried to be encouraging. "Don't you worry, Erza! Look, you're already seventeen! My, do years pass by quickly! I know that you can take care of yourself fine!" He gave a broken smile.

"Okay then," Erza sighed. It was one of her parent's business trips, and she hated it when they left her alone, only to be with the maids and other house servants. She envied her classmates who came home to their parents every afternoon. Erza knew her parents didn't want to leave her either, but it was necessary.

"But, Erza!" her mother piped in, trying to enlighten the mood. "Actually, you have one responsibility while we're gone." she continued as her daughter raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "You see," her mother started, "there's going to be a tenant who is renting a few rooms. You know the right-wing of the second floor? Since only you are going to be living in the house, I just rented it out. That should be okay with you, right?"

Erza shrugged. "If the tenant doesn't nose around, then, of course, I don't mind."

Her mother gave a smile. "Actually, your father and I are going to welcome the tenant when he arrives. After that, we are going to catch our train. If you want, you can drop by. Just make sure you will still have enough time for homework."

The redhead nodded. "Will do," she said as she closed the door. Erza let out a long sigh. There were just way too many things going on today! But she knew that she would still have to greet the tenant since it’s common courtesy. Knowing she didn't have that much homework that day, Erza looked through her closet, trying to find an outfit.  _ No way. . .Too dull. . .Don't like the color. . .Wait, why are Mother's clothes in here?!. . .That's just WAY too revealing. . . _

In the end, Erza decided on a white blouse with a red skirt. "This should do," she murmured to herself as she changed. Just as she slipped on her shoes, the house bell rang. "Wow, perfect timing," she commented. She knew the tenant had arrived, and by now, he was probably at the entrance hall. Her parents were already there, and they might be a little disappointed if she arrived too late. So, Erza flew out of her room and ran down the stairs to the first floor.

Along the way, she heard her servants scolding her.

"Erza! Please slow down, you'll get injured!"

"Take your time! There's no need to rush."

"If you run that fast, people are going to see your panties!"

The redhead ignored their comments and made her way to the entrance hall. She was pretty sure her father would admonish her later, but whatever. Showing up for at least a minute was better than nothing.

Erza slowed down her pace when she neared the entrance hall doors for two reasons. One, she was catching on her breath from a long run from her room to the hall. Two, she didn't want the tenant to hear her running. Geez, the tenant might think that the manor had a mad bulldog running around. That wouldn't be such a good first impression, would it?

The closer she got to the entrance hall door, the conversation in the hall became more audible.  _ Well, would you look at that! That's only because the hall door is still partially open. _

Erza reached for the doorknob and was about to enter. But she froze in her tracks.

". . .I'll make sure the rent will be given. Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it."

_ No way! It couldn't be! It just can't!  _ Erza, trying to clarify the situation, peeped through the door gap. Then, her blood ran cold. She felt her eyes widen in disbelief as she recognized the distinctive blue hair and red tattoo. She rubbed her eyes, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. Then she realized. 

Her new tenant was going to be Jellal Fernandes.


	4. New Housemates

Erza’s new tenant was going to be Jellal Fernandes.

She watched as the blue-haired boy smiled and shook hands with her parents. "Thank you for taking me in!" he said. Her mother was giggling. "What a lovely young boy!"

Erza quietly scoffed at her mother's comment.

"So, Jellal, how about we lead you to your room?" Erza's father suggested. From Erza's perspective, she could tell her father was fascinated by Jellal. He was giving a warm grin that he barely showed except when he was really impressed.

Contrary to her parents, Erza was really not amused.

"I would love your assistance, sir!" Jellal answered eagerly.

Her father laughed. "Please, Jellal. Just call me Mr. Scarlet." He turned around and made his way to the exit.

Jellal nodded and took a hold of his suitcase handle. Together, Mr. and Mrs. Scarlet, along with Jellal, started heading towards the entrance hall door. Erza, still planted to her spot, watched as the three figures started getting bigger.

_ Hmm. . .Wonder where they're headed to. WAIT! They're heading towards ME! _ Erza thought. She looked around frantically, trying to find a place where she could possibly hide. But the room she stood in was so huge and barely had any furniture. And Erza didn't think that pretending that she was a plant would work out. She realized that she would have to run out of the area as quickly as possible.

She peered into the entrance hall once more. Yup, they were definitely approaching.

"Well, it's now or never," she murmured to herself as she rushed out of the corridor.

* * *

When Mr. Scarlet pushed the entrance hall exit door open, Jellal held in his breath as he saw the next corridor. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and potted trees at the side decorated the walkway. When he looked down the hall, he saw another door that would lead him to another room. The more he thought about it, the more Jellal realized that his entire house in his hometown was probably smaller than the two entrance corridors combined.

As Jellal walked across the room, his suitcase made a  _ clickety-clack _ sound as it rolled across the mosaic floor. His head turned from one side to the other as he admired the hall's vastness. If these were only the entrance halls, Jellal could only wonder about the size of the  _ entire _ manor itself. . .and how long it would take him to map out the whole place.

Jellal's thoughts flashed back to his conversation with Lyon at the end of the school day.  _ She lives in a mansion that takes up the WHOLE ENTIRE block! _ he recalled Lyon saying. Jellal quietly chuckled.  _ Haha. Imagine if Titania lived here! How unfortunate I must be if that actually happens! _

His eyes fixed on the two adults in front of him. To know the fact that he is now living in the same house as the richest people of Magnolia–and maybe even Fiore–amazed him. They looked like simple people, though. If he passed by them on the streets, he would've never guessed their social standings. Also, no matter how much he denied it, their faces did look familiar, especially Mrs. Scarlet’s. There was just something that triggered Jellal, telling him that he saw her before. But then again, he didn't remember meeting Mrs. Scarlet. Then, it hit him.  _ She looks like Erza! Wait, why am I thinking about her?! Mrs. Scarlet and Erza's resemblance must be a coincidence. _

Not only that, but the name "Scarlet" rang a bell. Jellal just couldn't remember where. . .But he decided to put that topic to the side.

After what seemed like a mile trek, he finally made it to his room.

"If you need anything, you can ask our daughter. She'll usually be on the third floor. If you need help finding her, you can ask our maids," Mr. Scarlet explained. "Unfortunately, my wife and I will have to leave for a long business trip. A client is looking to set up some terms of agreement with us, and the process will require a lot of long, legal due diligence." Then, the man quickly reviewed the renting guidelines and suggestions. "Any questions, Jellal?"

Jellal shook his head. "No sir. I mean, Mr. Scarlet!"

The older man chuckled. "Then, I'll be going. Take care, Jellal!" he said. Mr. Scarlet led his wife down the hall. Mrs. Scarlet turned back once more to wave quickly. 

Jellal waved back and shouted, "Have a safe trip!"

When Jellal saw the couple make a turn around the corner, he let out a long sigh.  _ Let's see. I've gotta get a part-time job, go to school, and pay rent. . .Gah! So many things to do! _

He took a scan of the room. Then he realized it wasn't just one room, there were multiple ones. He spotted a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen, a movie room, a dining hall. He felt himself gape his mouth open. He couldn't believe there were so many rooms–all for him!

When he heard a familiar tune, his dreaming stopped. He ran towards his school bag and fished out his phone. He hurriedly swiped the screen to pick up the call. "Hello?" he said.

"Jelly? Hello Jelly, is this you?" a voice called from the other line.

The bluehead felt a blush hearing that familiar voice. "Mom! I told you to stop calling me that!" Jellal scolded. Though he hated it when his mother called him weird nicknames, the voice of his mother soothed his anxiety.

"Ok, fine." she laughed. "So, how is it like in your apartment?"

"I just got settled, Mom. But, er, how do I say this? I don't think I should really consider this place an apartment. More like, a section of a mansion of some people called the Scarlets. . ."

Jellal could hear his mother spit her water in astonishment. "What?!" she yelled. "The Scarlets?! Oh, Jelly! Tell me you're lying!"

"Um. But I'm not," he answered earnestly.

"What?! Wow. Get me a ticket to Magnolia because I'm moving in with you right now!" his mother giggled. "If you ask me one thing I learned today, it would be that your father is really good at finding housing. Honestly, your father found the place for rent through his colleagues."

Jellal laughed along, then asked, "What's so special about the Scarlets?" The bluehead was earnestly very curious. He heard that they were a very rich family in Magnolia, but he never imagined to be  _ living _ in their house.

Turned out Jellal said the wrong thing again because he heard his mother choke on her spit this time. "What?! Jelly, are you stupid? Oh geez, what's wrong with my son? Jelly, THEY'RE RICH! My, they probably have a hundred servants and did you see the amount of land they own?! You’re only in their main residence, but they have many other properties in the whole globe. My, you are so lucky!" 

Jellal thought about it and realized his mother's conjectures about the Scarlet's wealth were actually correct.

"So." His mother's voice suddenly got a lot softer. "Did you meet the Scarlet's daughter? I heard she is really pretty. . .Too bad I forgot her name."

"Didn't meet her yet. Not that I want to," Jellal answered.

"Aw, Jelly. At least say 'hi' to her, _ " _ she coaxed. "But anyway. . .Are there any pretty girls in Magnolia?"

"Mom!"

"Sorry, sorry. Hehehe. I was just curious. I just wanna see my grandchildren as soon as I can. I wanna know if they will look more like you or your future wife," his mother laughed. 

Meanwhile, Jellal could feel his cheeks heat up. 

" _ I know you're blushing," _ his mom teased.

"What?!"

"You always get all red when I mention that topic," she answered. The bluehead groaned inwardly. His mother knew him too well. Then, Jellal heard a beeping coming from the other line. "Oh!" his mother said. "The cupcakes are finished! Well then, goodbye Jelly. Call me later, 'kay? I love you, Jellal!"

"'Kay, bye!" Jellal called. He clicked the "End Call" button and sat on the couch. He missed his mother already. He wanted to call his mother back so desperately, but he had to create a really good reason to do so.

Being rather restless, he thought of things to do,  _ besides _ looking through homework.

"Oh yeah!" he shouted as he jumped up from the couch. "I still gotta find a job! Hm, maybe the Scarlet's daughter knows something." He was about to run out of the room until he wondered how he was going to greet her. He went to the full-length mirror lying in the corner of the room and started thinking of different approaches.

He started his walk while practicing an introduction for himself. He didn't want to mess up, at least, not in front of one of the richest people in Magnolia.

When he reached the third floor, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Now, where is she?" he asked himself. He stopped a passing butler. 

“Ah, you must be the new tenant here,” the butler smiled when he saw Jellal, who greeted the man back.

"Do you know, by any chance, where is the Scarlet's daughter?"

The butler pointed to one of the rooms on the right side of the hall. Jellal gave a small grin as a "thank you" and started heading towards the room. He let out a sigh when he reached the door. "Hello, Miss Scarlet. I'm your new tenant and I'm curious if you know any part-time jobs available in Magnolia," he repeated once more before knocking on the door.

It took a while before the door clicked open. When it did, Jellal performed his signature smile. "Hello, Miss Scarlet. I'm your new tenant and I'm curious if. . ."

He stopped when he glanced at the girl who stood in front of him. He was suddenly tongue-tied and forgot every single word he was supposed to say. The girl was just as surprised as him because she couldn't move. She wanted to run away, but her muscles wouldn't allow her to.

"T-Titania," he murmured. Suddenly, everything made sense to Jellal. The reason why Lyon was smirking at him, the reason why their parents looked so familiar, the reason why the last name "Scarlet" rang a bell. His mind flipped back to the summer days three years ago.  _ Oh, Jellal! Stop! _ He told himself as he shook his head vigorously.

Erza suddenly found her voice. "Y-yes?" she squeaked, she wasn't even sure if he even heard her. She took her gaze off of him. Part of her felt upset that he called her "Titania" rather than her real name. But part of her was elated that Jellal finally said something to her.

"U-um. . .Nothing," he mumbled. He looked down at his shoes and slowly backed away. "I'll be going now, Titania. Er, bye. . ." Jellal quickly paced away from the redhead and started heading down to the second floor.  _ Shit! What have I just done? Whatever. I'll just see if Lyon knows any part-time jobs. Oh wait, I don't even know if I can trust that brat anymore.  _ Oh god, what was he going to tell Lyon? And how was he going to face Titania tomorrow?

Erza felt worse than she already did. When she spotted Jellal at the door, her hopes soared that maybe she and him would become friends. That maybe she would get a friend besides the usual Gray, Lucy, and Natsu. But when Jellal just ran away from her, her spirits were dampened. Was there something that Jellal found repulsive about her that he had to run away? What was she going to tell her friends tomorrow? And how was she going to face Jellal?

* * *

The next morning, Erza's alarm rang at 4:30 AM. The redhead groaned as she swiped her phone screen to stop the alarm. It was going to be another  _ long _ school day. Normally, Erza wouldn't wake up so early, but today, she must. Erza still had a Transformation Spells report due by Friday and she still needed the school library's books for the report. Since the library was the least busiest during the early morning, Erza took this time as her chance.

She quickly showered, slipped on her uniform and buckled on her shoes. She scanned her room to see if she possibly forgot to take her homework. Nope, she was ready to go. But she stopped when she saw her hat and sunglasses. "Maybe I'll wear them again," Erza mumbled as she reached out for the items. She skillfully hid her hair under her hat and slipped on the glasses.  _ Now _ , she was ready. The redhead checked her clock, which read 5:15 AM.

_ Why does time pass so quickly?! _ she told herself as she walked out of the room.

"Erza, would you like your breakfast?" one of her butlers asked. "We have choices of bagels, biscuits, or bacon and eggs."

"I'll take the biscuit to go. Also, tell my driver to get the car ready. I want to leave now," Erza ordered.

"Yes, Erza!" the butler said as he skittered away.

"And tell my driver that he doesn't need to pick me up today! I'll just walk home!" the redhead called after him.

"Yes!" he responded.

As Erza headed towards the dining hall, she pulled out her phone.  _ Gotta go text Lucy and Gray _ , she thought. She tapped the "Messages" button and scrolled down to find her friends' names. " _ Hey! This is Eru. Don't wait for me today because I'm going straight to the school library,"  _ the redhead tapped and clicked "send."

For the rest of her stroll, Erza thought of creative themes for her Transformation Spells project. Little did she know what was happening right below her.

"Jelly! Oh my, oh my! Why did you call me so early?" Jellal's mother screamed over the phone. Maybe it was a bad idea to call his mother on speaker, since she was usually very grumpy in the mornings.

"Uh, mom. So yesterday, I bought some groceries. So amongst the things I bought, I got eggs. Er, I forgot how to fry them," Jellal confessed. He scratched his head awkwardly, waiting for his mother to scold him.

"Oh geez, Jelly! Give me the frying pan so I can hit you over the phone!"

"I'm serious! Mom, I have to go to the school library before school starts, and you're not helping!"

He heard his mother sigh before saying, "Fine. Just crack open the egg into the pan. I guess that's about it."

"Really? That's it?" he asked, incredulous. He couldn't believe he forgot such a simple recipe.

"Are you really my son?"

"Anyway. . .Thanks," Jellal said as he hastily pressed the "End Call" button. He wanted to end the call before his mother started nagging on him.

He carefully turned on the stove and placed the frying pan on top of the fire. When he was able to successfully fry the eggs, he shouted with triumph. Too bad that he gulped it down a bit too fast,\ because within five minutes, his breakfast was gone. . .and he was hungry again.

"I'll just buy some food later," he mumbled as he slipped on his book bag. He walked out of the room and started heading towards the exit.

When Jellal finally found the exit, he was glad that he actually made it out of the place in one piece. He would've expected rich people to sneer at him.  _ Maybe they are actually nice. On that note, maybe Titania is. . . _

Jellal shook the thought out of his head. What the hell was he thinking about lately?

He headed towards his motorcycle, and turned the vehicle on. "Let's go," he murmured to himself as he covered his head with the helmet. He revved up the engine and started steering it down the street.  _ And maybe I'll pick up a sandwich! _ he thought hopefully. He felt it in the air that the day was going to be a good one.

* * *

Erza gulped down the last of her biscuit as she walked through the school doors. Thankfully, barely any students were around, or else they would chant "Good morning, Titania!" in unison.

Erza headed to the library in the left wing of the school and headed to find a certain book.

"Transformation spells. . .Transformation spells. . .Transformation spells. . ." Erza mumbled to herself as she tried to find the books, but to no avail.

She saw a banner that said "REFERENCES" towards the back of the library and she headed towards there. Sure enough, she spotted the large volumes that had the words "Transformation Spells" on the bind of several books. But the redhead spotted one problem. The books were on the highest shelf, so there was no way she could reach for them. Unless she was eleven feet tall, which Erza was definitely not.

"If I remember correctly, there's a ladder somewhere," the redhead told herself. She looked down the rows of the library and eventually saw a large wooden ladder in the middle of the third row. She headed towards the ladder, and started pushing it towards the reference section.

"Now, for my skirt," Erza murmured as she looked at her uniform. If anybody happened to pass by. . . Geez, if someone walked below her, that would be embarrassing. The passerby can simply glance up and spot her underwear.

_ It'll just be quick. Besides, there's nobody here so early in the morning, _ Erza reassured herself. But as she took the first step in the ladder, she hesitated. She stepped back onto the floor. She rarely climbed ladders, so the feeling was unfamiliar.  _ Maybe I'll ask the librarian. But she left. . .darn. I can't wait for her! I have a long report to start! _ Erza decided to take another shot in climbing. But she retreated at the third step.

Suddenly, she realized there was noise in the room. _Someone else is in the library!_ _Oh no! What if they spread rumors on the type of underwear I wear?! I have to get the book as quickly as I can!_ Erza told herself as she scrambled up to the top of the ladder.

Just as she got to the top, she felt a small tap on her ankle and she switched her sight to the suspect. She was sweating so badly, her sunglasses fogged up, making it difficult for her to figure out the person. As her gaze focused, her eyes widened as she realized the person was Jellal. She sucked in her breath.

Not recognizing the girl, Jellal executed a warm smile. "Can you please get me the second book over there?" he asked as he pointed at the book.

"U-uh, s-sure," Erza stuttered. She realized that the bluehead did not recognize her, and she was even more grateful to have worn her disguise. Erza's arm shook with excitement and nervousness as she reached for the book. She couldn't believe that Jellal was talking to her, for the first time.  _ I have to wear my disguise more often _ . Erza thought, bubbling with happiness. Erza slid the book off the shelf. As she handed it over to the Jellal, she saw her arm visibly shaking.  _ What is wrong with me?! Stop shaking, arm! _

She dared to glance at Jellal and saw him happily smile. Embarrassed, Erza shifted her gaze to the floor. Her eyes widened when she realized how far she was off the ground. Not used to the feeling of height, Erza's mood suddenly shifted from elated to horrified.

"Are you okay?" she heard Jellal ask. Though he stood right next to her, his voice sounded so far away. Still, Erza's vision became unfocused. And then, it happened. It happened ever so slowly.

Erza, out of sheer terror, released her grip on the ladder and felt herself heading towards the ground.


End file.
